Synchronous online learning (SOL) provides an opportunity for instructors to connect in real-time with their students though separated by geographical distance. This meta-analysis examines the overall effect of SOL on cognitive and affective educational outcomes, while using asynchronous online learning or face-to-face learning as control groups. The effects are also examined for several moderating methodological, pedagogical, and demographical factors. Following a systematic identification and screening procedure, we identified 19 publications with 27 independent effect sizes published between 2000 and 2019. Overall, there was a statistically significant small effect in favor of synchronous online learning versus asynchronous online learning for cognitive outcomes. However, the other models were not statistically significant in this meta-analysis. The effect size data were normally distributed and significantly moderated by course duration, instructional method, student equivalence, learner level, and discipline. Implications for educational practice and research are included.

Self-regulated learning (SRL) plays a pivotal role in medical education. There is a pressing need for a meta-analytical review to comprehensively evaluate the effect sizes of SRL strategies across diverse learning outcomes and levels of medical trainees. A meta-analysis was executed by searching five databases and resulted in 61 studies that met our inclusion criteria. A three-level meta-analysis was performed to examine the association between SRL strategies and various levels of learning outcomes (i.e., affective, cognitive, and behavioral learning outcomes). Moderator analyses were conducted using meta-regression, considering factors such as types of learning outcomes, training levels, SRL subscales, and quality of the studies. The analysis yielded an average effect size of .212, using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, demonstrating a positive and significant association between SRL strategies and overall learning outcomes. Although our moderator analyses indicated that SRL subscales and study quality did not significantly influence the relationship between SRL strategies and learning outcomes, SRL strategies had a more pronounced effect on affective outcomes than on test scores, behavioral outcomes, and mental health outcomes. In addition, the association between SRL strategies and learning outcomes were significantly higher among the clerkship phase of undergraduate medical education than the pre-clerkship phase.